


We'll Work On It

by Paran_is_a_myth



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Implied Relationships, implied catradora
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-01-31 16:46:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21449455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paran_is_a_myth/pseuds/Paran_is_a_myth
Summary: *SEASON 4 SPOILERS*Without the sword, Adora doubts herself. Now that She-Ra is supposedly gone, how can she be a hero? When her friends are at a loss for how to comfort her, Catra steps up to a task and gets a first taste of redemption.Just a short and wholesome interaction.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 130





	We'll Work On It

**Author's Note:**

> Set not long after season 4. Glimmer and Catra are reunited with the rebellion - Catra as a tentative ally. This is just a possibility for the directions of Adora's and Catra's arcs for the next season.

Adora crashed to her knees and threaded shaking fingers through her hair. Tears beaded in her eyes like droplets of blood on a fresh scratch, before they brimmed over and creeped down burning cheeks.

“It’s hopeless. _I'm_ hopeless...useless. Now that She-Ra’s gone, I’m nothing. I can’t beat Horde Prime. I can’t save Etheria.” Her voice cut rough and jagged like fingernails digging in skin, a yearning desperation lurching each time it cracked. “I’m sorry...to all of you. I’m sorry I couldn’t be the hero you needed, who you deserved.”

The allies stood in frigid silence: Glimmer, Bow, Perfuma, Mermista, Sea Hawk and Catra. They all seemed to be biting down on a myriad of words, tasting them in hope of finding the right ones. Eyes richoched around the room and after several beats, Bow opened his mouth.

Catra chest felt pressurized as she stepped forward and spoke before he got the chance.

“Do you really think _that's_ what’s holding you back?” She challenged in her Force Captain voice.

“_What?_” Adora looked up.

“I know you better than anyone else in this room, Adora. I grew up with you, I saw your impact in the Horde firsthand.” 

She took calculated steps towards her. Gimmer and Bow shared expressions of distress, furrowed brows and eyes of worry. Catra continued.

“Do you think you earned Kyle, Lonnie, or Rogelio’s respect because you’re _She-Ra_? Do you think that it was _She-Ra_ that impressed Shadow Weaver so much? Do you think she appointed you Force Captain because you were _She-Ra_? Do you think you were the most powerful and driven recruit of the Horde because you were _She-Ra_?”

Catra squatted to Adora’s eye-level and balanced with feline grace on the balls of her feet, tail twitching. Adora had stopped crying, but her eyes were wide and watery, and her hair was wild.

“You didn’t do all that because of a sword and tiara kit. It was you, Adora. _You_ were a force to be reckoned with. And right now, if we’re gonna stand any chance against Horde Prime and his army, we don’t need a hero, we need you.”

“Catra…”

Catra looked at the floor and swallowed.

“You can’t save us. But _we_ can save us. I’ve seen what you all can do, even without She-Ra.”

She glanced back up at Adora to see softness pulsing in those blue eyes and the faintest smile. Like sun rays on a chilly day, Catra was washed over with hope.

“Now, will you let me fix your ponytail?” 

Catra smirked and reached forward, but Adora’s hand caught hers. Her eyes turned as stern as her grip: a firm no thank you. Catra’s eyes and hand fell in dejected understanding. 

“I don’t expect you to forgive everything I’ve done so easily. We can’t immediately go back to the way it was, if ever. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to forgive myself.” 

Catra gazed at her open palms—all the havoc and mayhem that was on her hands—before she turned them to fists and looked into Adora’s eyes. 

“But right now, I want you to know that I’m committed to the rebellion, to defeating Horde Prime, and making sure every trace of the Horde is wiped from Etheria.”

She extended a hand, tentative and vulnerable.

“But I can’t do that alone. You know I can’t.”

Catra held her breath as she waited for Adora’s answer. After several seconds, she offered a small smile and placed her hand in her palm. Baby steps was the way to go, it seemed. Catra breathed a sigh and returned the smile. They stood. 

Slowly as to not jar boundaries, Adora’s friends huddled closer and created a mild jumble of encouragement: a pat on the back, a side hug, a smile. Amidst the chatter, Catra drifted a few paces back and watched contently from the sidelines.

There was a hand on her shoulder: Bow, who looked almost proud.

“Not bad back there.”

Catra nearly rolled her eyes, but couldn’t resist a smile or the reddening of her cheeks. 

“Pfft. Whatever.” She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.

“You really seem to care about her.”

Catra’s ears drooped and her expression fell. She fought the urge to bite back with sarcasm. But among the group, her eyes found Adora, lost in laughter, in newfound joy and purpose. Catra smiled.

“I guess I do.” She turned to Bow, and her voice turned frantic. “But how will I know how to act around her anymore? After all that’s happened, what if...what if we’re not salvageable?”

Bow smiled reassuringly and winked.

“We’ll work on it,” he said.

He joined the crowd. Catra smiled.


End file.
